this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2024
525 points (98.3% liked)

World News

38255 readers
2386 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Incredibly, the Russian air force has lost another one of its rare Beriev A-50M/U Mainstay radar early-warning planes. Video that circulated online on Friday reportedly depicts the A-50’s burning wreckage in Krasnodar Krai, in Russia just east of the Sea of Azov.

The location of the crash, at least 120 miles from the front line in southern Ukraine, could indicate the four-engine, 15-person radar plane either suffered a mechanical failure—or took a hit while operating closer to the front and tried to make it back to its base in Krasnodar before exploding.

For what it’s worth, the Ukrainian air force claimed it shot down the A-50 with assistance from the intelligence directorate in Kyiv.

Either way, it’s a devastating blow for the battered Russian air force. The air arm has lost, mostly to Ukrainian long-range surface-to-air missiles—American-made Patriot PAC-2s, in particular—nine of its best planes in just a month. Including an A-50 that the Ukrainians hit over the Sea of Azov in January.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 85 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

As much as the airframe loss hurts, the loss of 15 experienced airmen might hurt worse. Russian air ops “are constrained by the availability of pilots with sufficient experience to carry out key missions,” analysts Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds wrote in a recent study for the Royal United Services Institute in London.

maybe the pilot situation is causing the high rate of airframe losses recently

[–] [email protected] 45 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's definitely not helping - especially since Russian planes are quite difficult to fly. Most of them have zero automation

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (2 children)

That's sad considering their shuttle could basically land itself. I guess those engineers were on the Ukrainian side

[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago

To paraphrase Maciej Cegłowski on the Space Shuttle, when the Russians steal your design and then add safety features, then you know you fucked up.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I mean, Russia was pretty shit overall and they've been trying to change history books and inventions for something in russia. Computers famously where made in Hungary, Rockets and basically anyhting that properly flew in ukraine...and so on.

[–] prettybunnys 5 points 6 months ago

The best parts of Russia always leave.

load more comments (3 replies)